How to get your product onto shelves (and sold)

How do you go about getting your merchandise onto a shop shelf and getting the attention of a new customer base?
The quality of your product is a given, doing research into what is currently available and the competitiveness of your offering is a reality, but here are some other aspects to consider when making your product attractive to the retailer, shelf ready and into the consumers basket.

Tips for selling your product

Packaging packaging packaging

It’s the billboard to your product and is the most important factor in getting your product noticed and into the hands of the consumer. Retailers will only consider products that will sell and your packaging is the first thing that will attract customers. So making sure customers will take notice of it should be your main concern.

Your packaging should embody your product, at a glance the consumer should be able to grasp what they’re looking at, what it does and why they need it. It should also be distinctive from other competitor products, you want yours to be noticed first. The use of colour, artwork, font and texture are key.

Colour is the first factor that a consumer will notice when perusing the aisles, it needs to stand out from the other contenders, but still needs to embody your product. It’s the first step in getting that all-important limited consumer attention.

Your choice of artwork should speak volumes about what’s inside, but don’t over-complicate, keep it simple and specific to your product.

Font is a valuable tool in marketing your product, a graceful flowing script for a full bodied red wine or a playful handwritten font on a child’s toy, both speak to what’s inside.

You’ve now caught the consumers eye, your product is in their hand so your packaging texture should be a forerunner to what’s inside. If it’s a rustic rusk you’re selling, an irregular, unrefined feel, a luxury body cream, think silky smooth. The consumer should be able to imagine what they’re about to purchase and look forward to how it will fulfil their need.

Know your numbers

Target
When approaching a retailer, you need to be prepared and have all your facts, research is of great importance. Firstly, you need to make sure that your product is in line with their brand offering and target market. Your product and the quality thereof are what you’re selling, but you need to be able to reassure your chosen retailer that making space upon their shelves to house your product will add value and be of benefit to their business and client base.

Price
The price of your product will be an important deciding factor, it’s therefore vital that when doing your costing, taking into account the mark-up that will be applied by the retailer. If your cost is too high, no matter how attractive your product may be, it won’t sell and retailers need turnover, conversely, if it’s too low, the quality could be questioned.

You will need to demonstrate the viability of your product and why it would be of value on their shelf. If available, provide details of past sales and always have projected sales on hand, but make sure these numbers stand up to scrutiny, your integrity is also being interrogated.

Service guarantee
As mentioned, the quality of your product is a given, but any retailer will also need to know that they won’t be let down by you. You will need to demonstrate your willingness to assist should any matters arise. Remain consistent in your delivery and don’t over-promise, rather over-deliver. Your merchandise may be flying off the shelves, but if you’re unable to supply the goods this will reflect badly on both you and the retailer.

Ensure that you’re able to keep your product in steady supply, an empty shelf will not do anyone any favours. Be sure to retain the standard of your product, over supply could mean a shelf of dusty, stale goods, no store owner wants to be fielding complaints from the very consumers that you’ve worked so hard at attracting.

These tips on How to get your product onto shelves (and sold) are brought to you by Rebsons Labels. Rebsons Labels is a leading supplier of labels in South Africa and produce self-adhesive labels for local and international clientele from various industries. For the highest quality label manufacturing for your product through either digital label printing or traditional label printing contact Rebsons Labels today to discuss your needs.